Halp:Navigation
Navigation can be difficult within a wiki, when everyone is able to add information on any page. It's always easier to write a page than it is to figure out how to link it to everything else in the wiki! There are methods of making this easier, which you can apply to your Wikia. As well as the default navigation which is fully customizable, you can create additional navigation for your wiki by using categories and templates. What are the links in the sidebar? The navigation you see depends on which skin you are using. The below lists are general guides. Navigation The contents of the "navigation" box can be heavily customized so they vary from wiki to wiki. However, the standard items generally include: * "Main Page" - links to the of the wiki, using the name of that page * - links to a page where the community can discuss and organize their work * - lists recent changes to all articles on the wiki * - goes to a random mainspace article on the wiki * - links to a list of help pages Toolbox The contents of the "toolbox" are generally invariant. * For articles: ** - shows other articles containing links to the current article ** - shows a Recentchanges-style list of changes to all articles linked from the current article ** button * General wiki links: ** - lists recent changes to all articles on the wiki ** - logged-in users can add images and other files using this form ** - lists all special pages, which perform a variety of useful functions ** New wiki button Can I customize the sidebar? Changes to the sidebar navigation can be made by , who have the permissions to edit the MediaWiki messages which make up the standard page. For details, see: * Halp:Customizing Monaco * Halp:Customizing Monobook What are the links in the user bar? User links are available at the top of every page, if you are logged in. In Monobook, they are displayed in a strip in the upper right corner. In Monaco they are contained in a drop-down list next to your username. * - link to your user page * - link to your ; messages left here will display a "new messages" banner to you on your next Wikia visit * - customize Wikia behavior * - monitor activity on pages you are interested in * - view a list of all your activity on the wiki * How do I use categories to improve navigation? :See for a complete overview. Link related pages together by adding category tags, in the form Category:Widgets, to the bottom of the article you wish to categorize. Clicking on the category name at the bottom of the page will take you to a list of all articles which contain the same tag. How do I use templates to improve navigation? :See for a complete overview. A template is a page which can be included in multiple other pages. By creating an attractive navigation template and placing it on related pages, you can make it easier for users to find related information. There is additional help on templates at MetaWikipedia:Help:Template and Wikipedia:Navigational templates. One example can be seen at the bottom of Wikipedia:British English, where the blue box provides a navigation aid to related articles. This bar can be easily put on other pages just by adding , because a template exists at Wikipedia:Template:English dialects. Gallery Image:Monaco sidebar.png|The left-hand sidebar of the Monaco skin Image:Monobook sidebar.png|The left-hand sidebar of the Monobook skin